The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) Health Policy Fellows (HPF) program brings mid-career health professionals to Washington, DC for one transformational year immersed in the federal health policy process.

For the first three and a half months, fellows meet with the most influential thought leaders in health policy: national experts, think tanks, interest groups, executive branch officials, members of Congress and their staffs, and many more. Fellows then get the opportunity to put their health expertise and newfound policy knowledge to work by serving as senior advisors to  elected and appointed federal government officials. At the end of the year, fellows leave with the knowledge, skills, and commitment to improving the health of the nation.

In 1974, the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) and the RWJF announced the first cohort of RWJF Health Policy Fellows, marking the beginning of a partnership that continues to thrive over 50 years later. As of 2025, this program has transformed the lives and careers of 325 participants across 50 cohorts and promises to continue to impact the health of the nation for many years to come. This virtual exhibit chronicles and celebrates the program’s first 50 years and the achievements of its alumni and stakeholders.

Explore the history of this renowned program and the achievements of its alumni in the following pages. The exhibit is organized semi-chronologically in four main sections. The first section, Beginnings, recounts the creation of the fellowship in the 1970s. The next section, Building Cohorts, examines why people apply to the fellowship, how the fellowship forms its cohorts, and how this process has evolved over the last 50 years. The bulk of the exhibit is contained in the third section: The Fellowship Year. This section traces the experience of the fellows throughout their year-long fellowship, from orientation to working in a Congressional or Executive office to forming lifelong bonds with their cohort. The final section is dedicated to the Decades of Impact that alumni have had on the health of the nation.